Who Am I?
by zizibolt
Summary: Adventure for my OC, as he goes from a Titan to a Leaguer. I would write a more descriptive summary, but it's pretty up in the air right now as I finally got some motivation to finish it. Intensive OC usage, but I'm also bringing in lots of DCUO characters, so don't fear!
1. Titans

This, is the story of Haze. This is not a story about a super hero. This is not a story about right and wrong. This is a story of acceptance. Accepting who you are as a person. Accepting the fact that we have to live life to its fullest, even if we didn't choose to be here. Accepting the fact that we aren't perfect. This, is the beginning.

Titans

"Dudes. So not cool."

"How could he have come back?"

"It doesn't matter. We can beat him again."

"Did he get bigger from last time?"

"No….not you…."

The titans were freaking out. Trigon was back. But how? They had thought Raven defeated him and sent him back to whatever hell he came from. But apparently not.

"I didn't transfer him here this time. How could he…" Raven started, but quickly found the answer. "Haze." She turned around and glared at him. "How could you bring him here! You just brought hell on Earth!" Raven was furious. Her supposedly dead father was back to take over the world. She wasn't upset that he was back. She knew he could be defeated. She was angry that her _boyfriend _was the one that brought him back.

"Don't look at me," Haze said. "I can't teleport people." It was the truth. He had no clue how Trigon had came into Jump City. He hadn't even been to Azarath since….two weeks ago. He mentally kicked himself. _Of course. This just had to happen to him. A piece of Trigon was left in Azarath. Trigon stored it there himself, as a way to revive himself. That piece must have somehow awakened and escaped through Haze's mind. Ok. So he can teleport people._

"Don't even pretend that you didn't start this!" Raven shouted. "_We're _going to take care of this," motioning towards the other titans. "If you aren't gone by the time we get back, then I'm going to send you to the most painful dimension I can think of!" She looked at the other Titans, who were staring at the two, scared for their lives. "LET'S GO NOW!!!!" The others quickly pulled themselves together and followed Raven to the city. Starfire quietly waved goodbye to Haze, and went to the garage. They didn't really want Haze to leave. He'd been with them for eight months, and they'd started to grow attached to him. Robin had a great new sparring partner, Starfire was glad to have a new friend to talk with, and Cyborg and Beastboy were always ready to play him at Mega Monkeys 4. Of course, Raven was glad someone from Azarath wasn't trying to kill her. She silently grew attached to him, and just a month ago she found the courage to ask him out.

Haze sighed to himself. "Great. I have to leave again. Why can't I ever stay in one place?" Ever since he was seven he was moving to new places. Orphaned before he could speak, the monks of Azar took him in as one of their own. He discovered he had super powers, and the monks feared the worst. Hoping to dispel any thoughts of using them, he was to be banished if they ever surfaced. Unfortunately, they did surface. All he did was stop a thief from making off with a precious scroll. He thought the monks would be grateful. Instead, the monks banished Haze and told him to never come back.

Haze slowly pulled himself together and went to his room to get his things. He thought that Raven liked him. That she of all people could understand being different. He would never intentionally hurt her. But it was too late. What she said, she said with conviction. No regrets or doubts. He sighed as the last of his things were packed. "Goodbye Titans." He morosely walked to the door, and opened it. He saw the city in ruins. The tower was surrounded by lava. The skyscrapers of Jump City were a pile of rubble as Trigon was stomping around, trying to squish one of the titans. "I guess they don't need me after all." He turned his back to go…but remembered that there was nowhere to go. The town was a mess. If the train station or airport was open, after this disaster, he would have been utterly speechless. Not wanting to leave, but knowing it was all he could do, Haze was confused. If he went to help the Titans, Raven would kill him. But there was nowhere else to go. Until the city was better, he was stuck in Jump. So he flew over to the path of destruction, deciding he'd just stay in the shadows.

"Foolish humans. I have grown stronger in the time that I've been gone. Not even you, daughter, can defeat me now," Trigon boomed over all the starbolts and sonic cannon blasts. "Give up now, and you will all live as my personal servants."

"I'd rather die!" Raven shouted, and began her spell. "Azarath…Metrion…Zinthos!" She shouted at the top of her lungs. A brilliant white light emitted from her chest, and expanded in a circle around her. It kept growing; when it finally hit Trigon…nothing happened.

He boomed with his demonic voice. "That actually tickled a bit. But, I don't like being tickled." With that, Trigon reached out with his hand and grabbed Raven. She squirmed to be free, but was trapped. Beastboy flew up into the air as a pterodactyl, and came back down as a T-Rex. But with his other hand, Trigon swatted Beastboy away, as if he were a fly. Starfire, carrying Cyborg, was shooting Trigon with her eyebeams while Cyborg used his sonic cannons. Trigon stuck out his hand with Raven in it, and punched the two out of the sky. Robin, on his R-Cycle, flew off the top of one of the remaining skyscrapers and jumped…right onto Trigon's head. Pulling out his bo-staff, Robin quickly started flailing at Trigon's four eyes. Becoming annoyed, he reared his head back and smashed it into the skyscraper, with Robin in between.

"Is that all Earth can offer to defend itself?" Trigon shouted, his voice echoing over the desecrated city.


	2. Saving the Day

Saving the Day

"Not even close," Haze shouted, coming out of the shadows. Dressed in his uniform, he was a fearsome looking being indeed. To a mortal, but to Trigon he looked absurd. Entirely in black and white clothing, he might as well have been a multicolored Power Ranger. His helmet had two antennae sticking out in front, in the shape of a V. He wore fingerless gloves, and his torso was covered with a regular white long sleeved shirt. The sleeves were covered with stripes wrapping around from his wrist to his shoulder. The pants he wore were also plain white, with black stripes going straight down waist to ankle. He wore ninja tabi for shoes, claiming it helped him be silent, as was his specialty.

Trigon squinted at the figure. _A multicolored Power Ranger. Perhaps he was convict that was in a classic jail uniform. Either way, he wasn't fearsome, but he seemed familiar. Of course. The foolish child that released him._ "Ah. I should thank you for freeing me. Tell you what. Stand down now, and I'll give you precedence over these so called "Titans"."

"What makes you think I'm going to join you?" Haze asked through gritted teeth.

"I can sense your anger. They kicked you out. This is your chance to get even."

"Are you being a Good Samaritan or are you afraid you will actually lose to me?" Haze asked. Why else would he negotiate with someone as insignificant as me, unless it's his only chance of survival, he thought to himself.

"Fine. The jig is up. Time to squash you," Trigon said menacingly. He started to walk towards Haze, but before he could, everything grew dark.

"What's wrong Trigon? Afraid of the dark?"

"I'm over here!"

"Peek-a-boo, I see you."

Haze was levitating around Trigon, shouting out random taunts as he went round. Finally, Trigon shot out and arm and grabbed him. "Shut up and die, mortal," Trigon said as he slowly squished the object in his fist. Slowly, the darkness dissipated as the life was exiting Haze. The next second, Trigon released his prize and stepped back. His vision showed the floating hero, with spikes protruding from his chest, from one shoulder across his chest to his opposite side's waist. "I didn't know you could do that," Trigon mumbled, reaching for him again.

"Me neither. Which means, I can beat you. With my hidden power: randomocity!" Haze unsheathed his daggers from his wrists, and enveloped them in his dark powers. They too, became spikes and he phased them into his arm, so that the tip of the spike was at length of his fingertips. Having finished his makeover, he charged at Trigon's approaching hand. Pushing his arms in front of him, he met the fleshy fist with sharp points, causing Trigon to pull his hand back again. But this time, Haze was attached to it. He quickly pulled the spikes out, and charged at Trigon's face. Caught unaware, he had no time to dodge the spiky mess flying at his weak point. Stuck to his face, Haze used his powers to phase into Trigon.

On the outside, all one could hear was the pain filled shouts of the demon. Raven, the only Titan still conscious, was released after Haze flew at Trigon. Afraid for Haze's life, she could do nothing but watch as her father was slowly killed from the inside. After a minute of terrible bellows, at least a dozen spikes flew out of Trigon. Next a white light could be seen emitted from the many puncture wounds. Raven could also here a faint voice, "_Azarath…Metrion…Zinthos_," and Trigon was full on glowing from the blast being emitted. After a few seconds, the blinding light disappeared…and Trigon was gone. The city was restored back to normal, just as it had last time he was defeated. Raven rushed over to the spot he had been.


	3. Where'd You Go?

Where'd You Go?

"Haze? Where are you? HAZE!!!" Raven shouted. No reply came, only the bewildered looks from pedestrians. She looked at the ground, embarrassed and sad, when she saw something rolling towards her feet. She went over to pick it up, and saw it was…Haze's helmet. She quickly looked around, and thought she saw someone standing on the rooftop. But when Raven looked again, nothing could be seen but a wisp of black fog.

The other titans regained conscious one at a time, and found their way over to Raven. She looked on the verge of tears. "Is something the matte-" Starfire started, but Raven quickly disappeared to the Tower. She sprinted over to Haze's room.

_He knows I was over reacting, right? I know that sometimes I let the emotions get the best of me, but he knows I didn't mean it…right?_ Opening the door, her fears were realized as she saw the bare room in front of her. _How could he leave me?_ In a state of panic she didn't notice the note and parcel lying in the middle of the room. After a few more seconds of staring at the emptiness, she noticed them, and rushed over to pick them up. Deciding to read the note first, she went over to a wall, slid to the ground, and read.

_Dear Raven,_

_I'm sorry for bringing Trigon into Earth. I honestly didn't know that I did. He must've slipped into my mind when I visited Azarath. I hope you guys can defeat him. I know you can._

_I'm sorry for all the times I hurt your feelings, or wasn't there. But, like you said, I have to go. I thought perhaps this time I wouldn't need to, but that was foolish. I wish I could take back all the pain I've caused, but I know I can't._

_I know that one day you'll find someone worthy of you. Someone not like me. A person who can realize that you are the most amazing person ever, just not late, like I did. When you find that person, hold onto them. If you don't, you might regret it later. I know I do..._

_One last thing. I left you a memento of me. If you don't want it, I'll understand. Just don't let it fall into the wrong hands. Put it down in the archives or the evidence room. Just promise me that it'll be locked up and safe._

_Yours forever,_

_Haze/Charlie_

When Raven finished reading the letter, she was speechless. He trusted her enough to let her hold onto something of extreme importance. He also trusted her with his name. She never told him hers, but he had enough faith to tell her his. This brought tears to her eyes. She screwed everything up with the first guy she ever liked. _If only I kept my cool... _ After letting a few tears come and go, she got a hold of herself, and opened the parcel. She didn't think it possible, but Raven was shocked again. Within the package was a mirror. It looked exactly like hers, except this one was white with green gems instead of black with red gems. _He trusts me with his mind_. The tears were starting to come again, but she suppressed them. Taking a deep breath, she looked into the mirror, and teleported into Haze's—Charlie's—mind.


	4. Man Behind the Mask

Man Behind the Mask

Regaining balance and sense of direction, Raven looked around. This place was nothing like Raven's mind. No demon birds. No floating rocks. Just an open field. In the distance, there was a hut. Not seeing anywhere else to go, she levitated over to the building. Upon getting closer, Raven noticed that it was much larger than she originally expected. It was the size of a football field, and looked to be…growing larger? Confused, she entered through the open door. All that was in the giant building were doors. A corridor full of doors, seemingly infinite. Noticing a name plate above one of them, she read _Azarath. _Confused but curious, she entered through it, and was amazed at what awaited her.

The room was full of many, small television screens. Each one was playing a different scene, but they all had something in common. They were all scenes depicting Azarath. Still a bit confused, she went to one of the TVs and sat, watching the scene unfold. It started with showing a room, a bedroom by the look of it. The camera angle was weird, jerking around, starting with a ceiling shot to one of the door. The shot quickly approached the door, and an arm was seen opening it. On the other side, a man ran across, with the camera following close behind. After chasing the man into a corner, he was about to punch the camera, but was stopped when the scene went black. The next second, the color was back, the man was on the ground, and the camera turned to show multiple monks.

"We told you to never use your powers," one of the monks said.

"Going against our law will have you banished," another said.

"I was just trying to help," a young voice spoke up. Not seeing anyone's lips move, Raven guessed it was the camera person.

"We had it under control. Breaking the law means you must leave," the first monk said.

"I'm sorry, but it is time for you to go," the third said. The camera angle shifted down to the ground, and started moving forward past the monks. After making it back to the first room, the scene went static. Raven guessed it was over, so stood up. She turned around, and saw Haze.

"Have you figured out where we are?" Haze asked.

"Yes. This is…your memory database," Raven said softly. Haze smiled, his eyes showing nothing happy. "Why did you leave?"

"You told me to," Haze replied, his smile turning sad.

"You know I would never actually want you to leave," she said, tears starting to form.

"It is for the best, though. I'm not meant for this. I'm not under control yet. I still need to…work on my powers," he said, ashamed that he had to admit it.

"You defeated Trigon on your own," Raven retorted.

"Pure luck. I was as confused as he was. I had nothing to live for, so I just went all out. I can't do that everyday," he said, turning away. By this time, they had walked out of the _Azarath _room and were going down the corridor.

"We need you though…_I _need you," she said with a hint of a child who didn't get that toy. "You can't just leave because I was mad."

"I know. But I really should go. Bad things seem to follow me. That's why I'm always on the move. The only reason I stayed in Azarath so long was because nothing ever happened there. I'm surprised nothing bad happened in the eight months I spent in Jump. But I guess Trigon sums all those months into one. Also, I need to prove to myself that I'm worthy of being a hero. If I just stay in one spot, I'll bring horrible things, and a hero doesn't create evil. They stop it."

"But running away from your problems doesn't make you a hero either. One day you have to stand and fight your inner demons!" Raven shouted. She was starting to get sick of this. Doesn't he see that he's hurting her? "Please. Stay. We can fight anything, so long as we're together. Just…don't leave me."

"I'll never leave you. I'll always be there. But I need time to sort out myself. You can visit my mind anytime. Just…don't talk to my emotions. They're a bit…over the top," he said. Coming to a stop, they made it to the end of the corridor. After standing stock still for a moment, he continued, "My train is leaving. I've got to go."

"Then let me give you something to remember _me_ by," she responded, and pulled Haze down to her level. Shocked but enjoying the moment, he gave into her lips. After a few seconds, she noticed him starting to fade away.

"You'll never be alone," was all he had to say, and then he was gone. Raven stood there for a moment, then teleported out of the mirror. Just as she was reappearing, she heard footsteps coming, and quickly gathered the note and mirror into her cloak.

"You in here-oh, hey Raven," Cyborg said as he peaked into the open door. "Guess he's not here, huh? You ok? You look a little-"

"I'm fine," was all Raven could manage. She swiftly exited into the floor, and teleported into her room. Making sure her door was locked; she fell onto her bed, and cried.


	5. Mystery Girl

Mystery Girl

It was six months since that dreadful day. The day he left yet another part of him behind. He knew it had to be done. But that didn't mean it wasn't painful. Haze had found his way to Metropolis. Well, found isn't the word he was thinking of. His exact method of travel was train. Lots and lots of train rides. Of course, it wouldn't take six months to make it to Metropolis from Jump City. But catching those trains is harder than you think. Especially when you don't have money to pay for a ticket. But, that didn't matter anymore. He had finally made it to his destination. The legendary Justice League supposedly had an embassy here. And Haze was going to find it.

At first, he didn't have a clue of where to go. He got onto the train, and when he got off, he just stayed in the station. After a few days of thinking, one of the conductors finally told him to get out. He suggested going to Metropolis. It was a pretty amazing place to go, and there was something for everyone. Not really caring, Haze got on the train, and left.

On one of the train rides, he overheard a couple of thugs mentioning to themselves that the Justice League was there. Something about "not going there in a million years cuz of all those tights-wearing heroes". That was all the motivation he needed. He would go to the Justice League, and become a member. He figured that they travel abroad, so he won't have to stay and bring trouble to the city. And he could be a hero.

Of course he could just become a vigilante hero. But they always have a home base. Batman in Gotham. Aquaman in Atlantis. Green Arrow in Star City. He couldn't exactly waltz on to Azerath and say "I'm your hero now!" _Especially _after Trigon. So, a team job would have to do.

Walking in the streets of the "Big Apricot", he pondered how he would present himself. How would he even know where to find the headquarters? Haze doubted they would just put a sign up saying "All superheroes welcome!" The hidden message in that would be "Blow up this building, villains!" Slightly frustrated that he didn't think this plan through more, he accidentally found himself walking in a bad part of the city. Of course, everyone ignored him. Haze wasn't a rich looking fellow, and he didn't have anything important to steal.

But evil wasn't away for the night. In fact, it was hard at work in a dark alley. As Haze walked past one particular alley, he stopped and slowly backed up. Several burly looking men were at the end of it. Curious, Haze levitated up to the roof for a better view. Peering over the edge, he noticed what they were heading towards. A young woman, no older than sixteen. Her hair was golden, shimmering in the light of the moon, and…moving? _Of course not,_ Haze thought to himself. But when he peered into her eyes, goose bumps rose up his neck. In those hazel pools, he saw no fear. Anger, courage, vengeance, but no hesitation. It was a trap.


	6. It's Electric

It's Electric!

Haze watched intently, waiting for the fireworks to happen. He didn't know when, know how, but he knew that this strange girl would kick the brutes' asses.

"I'm gonna ask you one more time, girl," one of the thugs said. "Come home with us, or we're gonna have to do some more…aggressive persuasion."

"Why would I come home with a pig-breathed, sweaty-pitted oaf like you?" The teen asked. "How about this. You all tell me where your base of operations is, and I'll let you live."

"We don't know what you're talking about girl," another thug said. "But you're sounding mighty feisty. I hope for your sake you know who you're talking to."

"I hope for _your_ sake you know who _you're _talking to," the blonde said.

"I'm growing mighty sick of your yappin'," a thug growled. "Grab her and shut her up." As two of the "oafy" men prepared to do as told, the girl took a very deep breath, and screamed.

Haze looked confused for a moment. _She's just gonna scream?_ But, coming out of his thoughts, he saw that all the thugs were lying on the ground, covering their ears. The men frantically scratched their lobes, trying to get the pain out. And then, Haze felt it too. It was like listening to a train whistle, cruise-ship's horn, and nails on a chalkboard all mixed into one. The pure pain of it all made Haze think he was gonna explode. Losing focus of everything but the searing screech, he fell over the edge of the roof, and landed on a pile of garbage bags.

Opening his eyes, Haze groggily tried to stand up, but found a foot placed firmly on his solarplexis. "Who are you and what are you doing here?" The strange girl asked. He merely looked up at her, mouth partially open, trying to figure out what she was asking. His ears were still ringing, so he didn't understand a thing of what was happening. Frustrated, the girl pushed his chest a little, and then stepped off of him. Backing into a wall, she waited till Haze had his ears functioning properly.

After what seemed like forever to Haze, he spoke up. "How did you do that?"

"_I'm _the one asking the questions here," she said. Walking up to him, she placed her foot back on his chest. "I'll ask again. Who are you and what are you doing here? If you don't answer, I'll 'sing' to you again."

Shuddering, he responded, "I'm Haze, and I'm here because I fell off the roof."

Rolling her eyes, she rejected that answer. "Why were you on the roof listening in on me? Are you one of them?"

Confused, Haze picked his next words carefully. "I was…intrigued by the group of thugs. But I'm afraid I can't answer your second question, for I'm not sure what you mean by 'them'. Would you please move your foot off of me?"

The girl was steadily growing angrier, and was unaware that her foot was now starting to grind into his chest. "No, I won't, since you aren't cooperating."

Sighing, Haze replied, "I didn't want to have to forcibly move you." As he grabbed her leg, the teenage girl touched his face with her fingers, and he suddenly stopped moving. Literally shocked, Haze asked through gritted teeth, "What did you do?"

"Answer me, then I'll answer you. Are you one of them?"

"I'm just a guy trying to find my way around the city. I'm…nothing."

"Hm," was all the girl said. Lifting her foot off Haze, she thought over what he told her so far.

As she was lost in thought, Haze slowly got more impatient. "Could you undo whatever you did? I'm getting really sore."

Focusing her attention on her thoughts, she mindlessly tapped his face again and Haze was free. Relieved that he could move again, Haze got up and stretched. "So…you mind telling me some stuff?"

Glaring at Haze with daggers of eyes, she said, "My name's Liz. I'm…a metahuman."


	7. Quest

Quest

Rolling his eyes, Haze said, "Obviously. What's your power?"

Hesitantly, she said, "Electro kinesis. Sort of. Just on my skin."

"What about your super screams. That's got nothing to do with electricity."

"That…was from gamma radiation," Liz replied. "It killed my father. We think I survived because of my electric currents."

"Who's we?" Haze asked.

"My mom and my sister. My mom was kidnapped a couple years after my dad died. My sister and I have been looking ever since."

Taking this in, Haze asked, "Who's your sister?"

"Well…Black Canary."

_Wow_, Haze thought, _it's a small world after all._ "How come you're not a super hero like your sister?

"Why should I be?" Liz asked. Anger started to flood her voice. "They were never there to save my dad. They haven't even tried to save my mom. They don't do anything right."

"I'm a hero."

"Right. Cuz you did so much to stop me from knocking you out."

"I am! Go ask…" Haze started, but was unable to finish. He started thinking about her again, but blocked that thought from his mind. Composing himself, he said, "Go ask the Teen Titans."

"It doesn't really matter. Heroes suck, period."

Veins throbbing, Haze asked, "So. Any luck finding your mom?"

"Actually, yes. Those goons back there knew where she was. They just needed a little…persuasion. Turns out that their boss is gonna be at the docks tomorrow."

Haze liked this. Not the fact that a crime lord kidnapped an innocent girl's mom, but the fact that he can show that girl that heroes are good people. "I can help you," Haze said, and after seeing her disinterested face, he added, "Just this once. I'll help you out, and show you that heroes can be helpful."

After thinking of his offer for a second, she said "Fine. Just this once. After that, I'm leaving this town."

"Yes!!!" Haze shouted. After jumping around for a couple of seconds, he turned to her and asked, "You got a place to stay?"


	8. An Escape from the Darkness

An Escape from the Darkness

When Haze awoke, he couldn't see anything. Squinting and blinking, the grogginess wore off and subtle shapes could be distinguished. A few chairs…what looked to be a kitchen…a door. He clumsily got up, and investigated the kitchen for a light switch. Switching it on, he closed his eyes, still not used to the brightness. Slowly opening them, he saw Liz cooking an omelet. "Mind telling me where we are. And did you knock me out again?"

She continued with her food, but casually replied, "We're at my place. Where else?"

"Did you knock me out?"

"…Maybe…Oh, don't give me that look, I barely trust you as is."

Haze grumbled a bit, feeling as if he'd been taken advantage of. How did she even carry him all the way here? "What time is it?"

"It's only 2."

"A.M.? Jeez, what are you doing up at this time, don't you have school or something?"

"I'm surprised, actually," she interjected. "You shouldn't be awake right now. I think I used enough power to knock you out for a few more hours."

He looked at her, really studied her. Her focus was back on the eggs, but her words lingered in his mind. What kind of torment has she undergone? Her face showed no clues, a mask that disguised her true thoughts, her true emotions. She spoke so easily about hurting people, almost throwing the words out like garbage. "So what happened?" Upon seeing her confused expression, he added "Between your sister and you. Black Canary is a rather famous name, and yet, here you are, walking down dark alleys, and picking up strangers."

Liz put down the frying pan and turned off the oven. "Where should I start? With the day my dad died? She wasn't there! She doesn't know anything! All she did was cry a few tears, then she ran away when mom got kidnapped. Running around in fishnets beating up thugs isn't gonna help get mom back. I'm saving her, little old, normal, not super hero, me!" She fumed for a good minute, on the verge of tears, until she finally shook her head in frustration and began eating her omelet. Haze's stomach grumbled a bit, but he suppressed it.

"When are they gonna be at the docks?" He figured a subject change was in order, and was rearing to help this suffering girl.

"I was actually gonna leave now. I was hoping you'd be out for a couple more hours, so I could do this, and be gone. Looks like I'm gonna have to keep my word and let you come with." As she headed for the door, she said, "Follow my lead, and you'll leave the place alive. This town isn't as bright as it seems. Leave your empty heroics behind. Someone has to die in confrontations like these."

She opened the door, and walked out of site. _At least she trusts me. She didn't knock me out this time. _Haze walked out the door, closing it behind him. He was back outside, underneath a silent sky, not a soul stirring except for Liz, who was walking ahead. Her footsteps were deliberate, full of will and determination. Haze shook his head. _She makes this place seem like Gotham._


	9. Dance With the Devil

Dance with the Devil in the Pale Moonlight

Promptly at 3:00 A.M., a deal was being struck at the Metropolis City Harbor…on the shady side of town. An entourage of big, black-wearing thugs were carrying barrels onto a small boat, whose motor was already running. The lights were on in a nearby building, the apparent transaction location for Liz's mystery man. Haze and Liz were hiding in the shadows of an alleyway, looking on at the obviously illegal deal.

"What's that stuff they're loading up?" Haze asked, trying to discern the strange markings labeling the barrels. Whatever was going on here wasn't average drug dealing. This was some superhuman black market trading.

"It doesn't matter. What we want," Liz said, "Is inside that building. That man knows what happened to my father." She looked at Haze, saying, "You distract the goons outside. They're security, so the inside will be fine." Suddenly, the girl darted out of the alley, climbing up the side of the shack and into an open window.

Haze stared after her, then shrugged, stepping out of the shadows. He cracked his knuckles, pointing at the thugs in an over exaggerated fashion. "Isn't it past your bed time? The curfew around here is half past 'I'm gonna knock you senseless'". _Ok, that was a horrible one-liner…but it should grab their attention._

The thugs turned to the voice in the darkness, confused as to who would be awake at this hour. They looked at each other, unsure of what to do. "Don't just stand there, go investigate!" A mysterious voice exasperatedly commanded. Barrels dropped to the ground, as four of the goons went to find the person.

After a few minutes, the voice noticed that his people still were gone. "Well then, it seems we have some _capable company_. Eeee-he-he-he-he-he-he," laughed the voice. A hand and pistol appeared from the shadows of the boat, shooting a full clip into the darkness. "There. Back to business, boys!"

"I don't think so. Business hours are closed," Haze said, falling from the sky to punch a thug picking up a barrel again. "And there's no night shift." _Ok, seriously, enough with the weird one-liners, Haze._

A figure lunged at him, attempting to grasp Haze in a bear hug, but he ducked, spinning ad throwing his leg to sweep the foe. Using that momentum, he continued spinning, standing up to throw an uppercut to another enemy behind him. As a thug ran at his exposed back, he jumped up, standing on his shoulders, and grasped his head with his feet to throw the bad guy to the ground. Coming out of a handstand, he swung his foot down on another adversary's head. At the sound of a pistol cocking, he fell to the floor, throwing a kunai to disarm the wielder. "Ooo, a feisty one." It was the mysterious voice again, growing louder as he stepped into the street light's view from the boat. His purple pants legs showed first, slowly revealing the rest of the purple tailored suit, and finally the pasty white makeup of his face. From a toothy grin, he said, "I thought Metropolis would be a boring old snore fest at this time of the night, but it seems that Gotham isn't the only late night city!"

"Joker? What are you doing here?" Haze hurried to his feet, backing away. "What's going on here?"

"Business, as usual." The words were calm, appearing from the shack nearby. Haze quickly glanced over, but what he saw was far worse than he imagined. The striking bald head was the first thing he noticed, dimly reflecting the light of the moon. "And now that the deal has been struck, it is time for me to take off, before the fireworks start."

"Luthor? Lex Luthor, and, the Joker?" Haze was utterly confused. He stumbled back a few more steps, trying to figure out how this could be happening. "Where's Liz? What did you do to her?"

"Oh, she's fine," he said, stepping aside as the small form appeared in the light. "In fact, she's better than alright."

His mood went from confused, to angry, as he saw the devilish smile on the teen's face. _I failed again…I couldn't save her…I couldn't…_ "Luthor! You'll pay for this," he shouted, as the hero dashed for the tycoon. With his fist outstretched, he was inches from the man's face, as he stood completely still, the breath leaving his body. Slowly turning his head, Haze asked, "Why?" then fell to his knees as Liz's foot retracted from his stomach.

"Didn't you know, _Titan?_ The bigger they are, the harder they fall." Liz laughed, placing her hand flat on his face to push him on the ground, stunned.

"Wellllll, now…I'd say it's high time we geeettt out of here," the Joker said, climbing aboard the boat and checking the barrels. "Bane's gonna love this! Are you two coming, or not?"

Luthor reached into his pocket to grab a small device, and pushed a button. "We have, other, arrangements." At that, the sound of a helicopter was heard, and in a minute, it was hovering above the ground meters away. "This has certainly been an enlightening encounter, but I doubt it will happen again. Farewell, warrior." He and Liz stepped onto the helicopter as it flew higher, and Luthor pressed another button on the device.

Haze heard high-pitched beeping as the intervals between diminished until nothing. From his boat, the Joker gave a hearty laugh, and sped away with the barrels. From his inert position, Haze sighed, when the shack exploded just feet away from him. Unable to protect himself, he closed his eyes, having the wind knocked out of him a second time as a flaming piece of wood fell on his torso. "Gahhh!" Screaming was all he could do as the fire scorched and burned his stomach, threatening to light his whole person aflame. Quickly becoming numb, he realized he was going into shock, and would probably die. _Why did it have to end this way_, he thought, as images of Raven, the Titans, and Liz flashed through his mind. _I guess I couldn't be the hero after all_, he resigned to himself, as the faded sound of running feet echoed in his mind. Then, nothing.


	10. Get the Party Started

Get the Party Started

Five years later, in Gotham City.

"I have no idea what's taking them so long. If we had it _our_ way, this gig would have been over and done with in five minutes flat." Circe, the goddess of chaos, was standing outside of a WayneTech facility alongside Poison Ivy and one of her enormous plants. The vine protruded from the ground, leading to a fifth floor window, where it not so artfully created a hole in the wall. In addition to Ivy, a man with a purple hood, and matching sinewy, leather clothing was present.

He remained silent as the doctor replied, "You know the Joker. Always wants to make a show. I'm sure Lex doesn't mind the chance to fight Superman either…" She absently stroked her monstrous plant, cooing, "Don't worry. We'll get the Bat for what he did to my babies also."

Inside, Killer Frost, in all her frozen glory, watched as an all white villain dressed in combat gear was unloading clips into the building's interior. "While it's great and all that we've got yet _another_ ice villain," she said, indicating the crazed gunman, "I'm starting to think we're going to have to tighten our group's recruitment. There's only so much crazy villain I can take." Captain Cold, watching from a few feet away, nodded in agreement.

"Don't worry, my friends," came the calm and sinister voice of Lex Luthor. He was simply observing the scene, with a yellow and black clad vixen at his side. "Freeze and Giganta are almost through the Lanterns' blockade, and Calculator is making progress as well." He turned to examine the progress on both the Lantern blocked hole, and the reinforced vault door. "You are almost done, right Calculator?"

"It's a lot harder than you'd think," the hacker's voice retorted. "The basic security by Waynetech was easy enough, but now that Oracle's on hand making new firewalls, I'm not sure how much longer I can…"

His words were cut off by the angry yelling of Giganta, who grew repeatedly more frustrated at the lack of forward progress. "Tell me again why I can't just burst through the ceiling on top of them, Luthor?" She paused her assault on the green force field, instead glaring at the armored tycoon.

The icy scientist concurred, adding, "We outnumber them greatly, and the amount of defensible locations is next to none. If we just take another entrance and take the diamonds, we can be on our way."

"Oracle. Making any progress on that security door?" Batman's stern and resolute voice was all that penetrated the concentrated silence of the two lanterns. "I'm not sure how long John and Sheena can hold on."

"I'm working on it. Calculator is setting up too many viruses, I'm having a hard time getting past his moves." The former Batgirl was typing away at her supercomputer, fighting a cyber war against her villainous counterpart. "The good news is, it seems he's not making any progress either. But then again, I suppose he doesn't need to."

Batman sighed, investigating the Joker bomb that was occupying the vault along with precious diamonds. "I can understand the coordinated efforts of the Society to create a bomb with almost no deactivation possibilities. What I don't understand, is why the extensive manpower just to steal some diamonds for Freeze."

"Since when does the Society make intelligent decisions? One of their leaders is the Joker," responded John Stewart. Sweat accumulating on his brow, he looked at about his limit, along with the reptilian Lantern with him, Sheena. "We could just use that escape plan. I take the bomb, Sheena takes you, and we hightail it out of here. We all know that-"

"They're coming. We just need to wait a little longer." Batman's voice was decisive, and so the four heroes continued their efforts to prolong their blockade, hoping that help would arrive soon.


	11. The Party

Frustrated with the lack of progress, Circe shouted, "If you lowlings in there don't do something right now, I'll turn you all into pigs!" She waited a moment, then huffed angrily, walking towards the monstrous vine. As she approached, an explosion erupted from the plant, causing it to bend and snap in different directions.

"My baby!" Ivy looked around for the source, when she saw a fireball heading towards her, forcing her to jump out of the way.

"Sorry lady," came a bored, New Yorker sounding voice, "But next time, I won't miss." The speaker landed in front of Ivy, revealing himself to be regular looking person. His face was human, with pronounced brown eyes and nondescript brown hair. However, as he landed his arm, like the gears of a clock, shifted into a laser cannon. He pointed his arm at Ivy, who held her hands up. She smirked , which caused the man to look behind him in time to see the mysterious purple being raising a sword to strike the cyborg down.

As the sound of a whirlwind approached, Red Tornado said, "I can't let you do that, sir," nearing the villain. Wonder Woman and Zatanna landed in front of Circe, and as the sorcerous heroine started speaking, Circe clapped her hands, exclaiming, "A goddess speaks, silence!"

Inside, Killer Frost neared the window where previously, an overgrown plant was. Right as she leaned over the sill, a crumbling noise sounded above her, and the ceiling collapsed on top of her. As the dust cleared, Nightwing stepped forward, with an entourage of heroes behind him. "Didn't you hear? Business hours are nine to five." He surveyed the villains before grabbing his escrima sticks, and said, "Titans Go!" The heroes moved to combat the villains, as Robin looked at the former Boy Wonder. "You know what I mean," Nightwing said, running to meet the foes.

Killer Frost erupted from the rubble, but Batgirl was there to put her down. She put her hands out to blast the bat, but Cassie sidestepped, knocking the outstretched arms away and kicking at the ice queen. Nearby, Robin was deflecting icy shots from Captain Cold's pistols with his bo staff.

Nightwing and his foe, the strange gunmen, circled each other. "So, what do they call you?" In response, the gunmen laughed through gritted teeth, bringing his pistols up. "Not a talker, I see," he said, as the villain chased Nightwing with bullets.

"You take Ms. Universe over there, and I'll take Freeze," Green Arrow commanded, as he ran to face the ice villain. Captain Marvel saluted, saying, "Yes sir, Mr. Arrow!" The archer looked over his shoulder, and replied, "Just call me Arrow". Captain Marvel nodded, flying up to the giantess' face. "My uncle always told me to never hit a girl," he mumbled.

"Well, your uncle's gonna get you killed!" Giganta said, swinging a fist to Marvel. He caught the attack with his hand, and interrupted, "But he never said anything about giants," as he brought his own fist to uppercut her in the chin. Closer to the ground, Mr. Freeze and Green Arrow were at a standoff.

"Arrow…"

"Freeze…"

"Now that that's over with, let's begin," Fries said, as he aimed his cold cannons at the archer.

"No, I meant don't move," Green Arrow replied, drawing an arrow and loosing it in the villain's direction. Freeze shot the arrow with his cannons, keeping it in place as it exploded in its icy prison.

Supergirl shot out from crowd of heroes, going straight for the head of the evil cockroach. "Luthor!" She yelled, but before she could reach him, a hand landed itself on the left side of her face, pushing her in a different direction and into a wall. She crumpled to the ground, trying to turn her head to see the assailant, and asked, "But…how…" The figure walked into the Kryptonian's field of view, kneeling down to reveal herself to be Luthor's bodyguard.

"The best part about being in the Society," she said, kicking Supergirl so that she was lying on her back, "Is the benefits. You see, Metallo was so kind as to build me Kryptonite infused battle armor," she said, as she showed off her gold and black, metallic looking armor. Walking back to the fallen heroine, she placed her foot on the Kryptonian girl's chest, and pulled out a stick which extended into a spear. "Another benefit, is killing any hero who gets in our way." Before she could stab Supergirl, a screeching sound emanated from Black Canary, who made it to the fray while they were distracted. The villain merely turned her head, stepping of Supergirl. "Good evening to you too, sister."

"It's over," Superman said, accompanied by Vixen, the Flash, and Hawkgirl. "You're outnumbered Lex."

"Oh, but I have some friends who don't want to hear that," Luthor replied, pressing a button on his battle armor. A yellow portal opened up at his side, and the sound of maniacal laughter from it.


End file.
